Sign Up for Our Living with Diabetes Newsletter

Thanks for signing up!

FRIDAY, March 15, 2013 — Ed Naylor has watched his mother struggle to manage her type 2 diabetes for ten years. His uncle had frequent diabetic seizures and eventually passed away from complications of the disease. His aunts and cousins are living with diabetes, too.

“It destroyed a lot of people in my family," Naylor said. "Not just the diabetes, but the consequences of it. You basically lose your life in pieces." Despite his strong family history, Naylor didn't take his own risk seriously. "It was on my mind that things could happen, but it really wasn't a concern."

Naylor, a 42-year-old from Secaucus, N.J., had fallen into an unhealthy routine. His weight had steadily increased over the years; once a lean, fit,160-pound military officer, he now hovered around 265. He worked long hours as a manager at a utility company and it was difficult to make time for exercise. Fast food, red meat, and fried foods were staples in his diet, and he often indulged in super-sized portions. “My vice was food," Naylor said. "I’m an emotional eater. You feel bad, you get stressed. Some people grab a bottle, some people grab a cigarette, I grabbed a big bowl of pasta."

Eventually, his habits caught up with him. Naylor went to see his doctor in 2009 because he was suffering from low energy, having trouble sleeping, and couldn't seem to lose any weight. When the results came back, his doctor delivered a blow – he had type 2 diabetes. Naylor was devastated.

Coping with the News

At first, he viewed the diagnosis as a death sentence. “I thought, ‘I have allowed myself to get put in this position," he said. "I have nobody to blame but myself.’”

His doctor, Ronald Tamler, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Diabetes Center, put him on medication to control his blood sugar as well as his cholesterol. Dr. Tamler also advised Naylor to make lifestyle changes to improve his blood sugar control, encouraging him to lose weight, start exercising, and eat a healthier diet. Naylor initially followed through on some of his doctor's suggestions, but his efforts didn't last. "Your numbers start going up because you get away from the basics," said Naylor.

When his son, Edward DaVaughn Naylor III, was born in April 2010, Naylor says the stakes changed. “It’s not just about you. You’ve got others that are dependent on you. I think it’s very selfish to live an unhealthy lifestyle.”

But it wasn’t until several months later, when Naylor had an eye-opening conversation with a co-worker, that he really committed to taking charge of his health. The friend shared that he had reversed his prediabetes by exercising and changing his diet, giving Naylor new hope that his future with diabetes wasn’t set in stone. “I didn’t know that was possible,” Naylor said. “I thought, ‘You got it, that’s it. The best you can do is manage it.’”

This realization gave Naylor new focus. “I decided then I’m going to defeat this thing. I wanted to get rid of it. My goal was to get off all medications. That was my whole objective.”

While it certainly isn't easy, Tamler said it is possible to reverse the progression of type 2 diabetes.

People with diabetes move along a treatment spectrum, from managing the disease with lifestyle alone, to taking one or multiple medications, to one day potentially needing insulin to keep their blood sugar in the target range. “Sadly, a lot of patients move to the worst side of that spectrum,” said Tamler.

However, by making significant changes to your eating and fitness habits, Tamler says you can move the needle in the other direction. "It takes effort but you can do it, especially if you have mild diabetes and you're not on a lot of medications," Tamler said. "Lifestyle is more powerful than any single medication.”

Following Through on a Commitment

Naylor began educating himself about diabetes and channeling his determination into exercise. From his years in the military, he knew he loved running, but the first time he stepped on a treadmill, now 20 years older and 100 pounds heavier, he had a harsh reality check.

“I couldn’t even walk a half a mile,” said Naylor. “I had to meet myself where I was.” He started keeping a fitness journal and slowly stepped up his distance and pace. He ran his first mile without stopping, then two. Eventually he worked his way up to about 20 miles a week.

At the same time, Naylor began overhauling his diet, parting ways the heavy comfort foods that had contributed to his weight gain and health problems. The first thing to go was soda; he hasn’t had a sip in over two years. “I’m totally okay with not drinking a soda for the rest of my life," he said. "It’s not worth it.”

Naylor cut out most of the sugar in his diet, as well as white foods like potatoes and pasta. “If I have to eat bread, I go for wheat bread.” He added more vegetables to his meals, eliminated fried foods, and replaced pork and beef with chicken breast, turkey, and baked tilapia or salmon.

Controlling diabetes boils down to decisions, Naylor said. “These decisions now are investments. These decisions to eat right today, do a little exercise today, could potentially extend your life.”

As a result of incorporating cardio and cutting portions, the weight started to come off, too. He dropped about 65 pounds in seven months.

To stay on track, Naylor told as many as people as possible about his new lifestyle, including friends, family, and co-workers. Some might be bothered by people eyeing every bite they take, but Naylor says he relies on others to keep him accountable during moments of weakness. If he’s at a restaurant with his work friends and reaches for the platter of fries or chicken wings, his buddies give him a little nudge.

A Life-Changing Payoff

When Naylor returned to his doctor’s office at the end of 2010, his blood sugar and cholesterol levels were in the normal range. Dr. Tamler was so pleased with the numbers that he took Naylor off both of his prescriptions. In just four months, Naylor had accomplished what he set out to do – he had defeated diabetes. Two years later, he is still medication-free.

Naylor recently shared his journey at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) New York Expo, a free event that included health screenings and talks by medical experts on preventing and managing diabetes. Tamler, who served as the 2013 Expo chair, invited Naylor to join a panel discussion with others who had turned back the clock on diabetes. During his talk, Naylor emphasized the important of personal accountability. “I told people this can’t be a fad, this can’t be a diet," he said. "You have to be comfortable with making these decisions for the rest of your life. From the feedback I got, it seems like I was able to touch a few people along the way.”

Tamler believes that educating patients is critical to effectively managing the disease, and events like the ADA Expos held across the country can help people get the information and resources they need to follow in Ed's footsteps and take control of their diabetes.

Staying the Course

Making a drastic lifestyle change hasn’t been easy, and Naylor is the first to admit that he goes through rough patches, when some of his good habits start to slip away despite his best efforts. In the last few months, he hasn't been as consistent with exercise and he's watched 10 pounds creep back on.

“It’s tough. I’m not going to lie,” Naylor admitted. “You kind of get off your routine. Sometimes you might slip a little bit, but you have to make sure you bring it back.” After a few too many missed workouts, Naylor has ramped up his running again.

“My goal is to never go back. But I do manage myself as if I have diabetes. The program I put myself on to reverse the diabetes is the one that I’m staying on.”

Naylor knows that he has to take care of himself so he can continue to take care of his son. “I want to be around when he finishes college," he said. "I want to be able-bodied. I want to be the cool dad, watching him play college football. You can’t do that if you’re not here.”

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

Advertising Notice

This Site and third parties who place advertisements on this Site may collect and use information about
your visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of
interest to you. If you would like to obtain more information about these advertising practices and to make
choices about online behavioral advertising, please click here.